Ed stood there despondently before letting out a mental sigh. Back on track. He needed to get back on track.
'It's time to check the spoils of war…' Ed was a bit saddened at the thought of it. The loot had been damaged!
By none other than himself! He couldn't think of any other way to do so though. It wasn't like the adventurers would kindly strip before he impaled them.
'The earthen stakes won't spare the armor either' He grumbled at the injustice. At least until a message interrupted his ridiculous thoughts.
[Champion has met the conditions to level up, do you want to be recalled? Y/N]
'Or not the time for loot just yet…' Ed thought with a hint of surprise.
He hadn't expected a level up but realistically it wasn't all that farfetched. He managed to single-handedly eliminate a large party of adventurers. If that was taken into account alongside the previous battle in the orc fields then it all adds up.
'Gather your dead comrades.' Ed transmitted to the skeletons. The anti-skeletons didn't immediately respond. They huddled in closer and simply watched as he stood there holding the bloodied sword.
There was a small stare-off before Ed rephrased his words.
'...The ones downed in combat' Ed told them and they immediately got to work. They started to move about the room to pick up melted bodies or severed limbs. Ed nodded and went to lean against a wall.
'Yes' He thought in response to the earlier message.
Immediately after, his consciousness grew hazy and left his body. His vision faded and once it had returned, it was showered by a deep red. Ed immediately turned off his sixth sense skill and waited for the usual message.
[Champion has met the conditions to level up, initiate level up? Y/N]
Ed considered if he should check his status or something before promptly replying,
'Yes' There wasn't much to do in the dungeon space after all.
[Champion will be put to sleep]
The glowing message appeared before his eyes before seemingly fading away. It was because he had fallen asleep.
***
In its vision was a layout. To be specific it was its own body.
Inside its bodies were many lights of varying sizes each going about their own business. Some were eating, others were patrolling, and others were playing.
But it was none of its concern. As eventually, all would return to itself. Those were itself after all.
Its senses encompassed more than its body though. It also felt constricted. Trapped.
It wasn't always so. At first, it felt free to grow. And grew it did. And as it did, it learned new tricks and skills. It learned to create 'life' and learned to use 'life'. Thus, it learned the concept of tools. This life was merely for its own entertainment, its most useful tool was one it came upon by chance.
Through it, it gained inspiration and it gained concepts of knowledge. And with this general notion, it learned of the outside. It learned what was constricting it. It knew what to do.
It shook its body to force open the cage that constricted it. This force created a path to the outside. Its first step towards freedom. Or so things should have worked.
The cage opened, but the freedom it yearned for was not in sight. On the contrary, the cage gripped it tightly. It felt as if it would crumble on itself and collapse its body. The entrance was therefore promptly closed.
It was an instinctive reaction that came about after seeing most of its 'life' die. It feared its own demise. Thus, through it, it learned to fear. And when this fear settled in itself, it realized how vulnerable it was.
But it was still willing to remain trapped? No, that wouldn't do.
So what could it do?
…
It thought.
What did it think?
It thought to control its body.
Yes! expanding randomly was not the way. It divided itself. There was now a method to the madness. But mad it still was.
What could it do?
…
It didn't know.
So it sought to know. As it had grown, it could use its tool to a further extent. And through it, it learned more.
It applied knowledge. It learned of space. It learned of its own existence and it learned of how these similar existences handled their affairs. It now knew what to do.
Its body was weak. It wasn't stable. So it created pillars. Until it stabilized, these pillars would act as crutches. Yes, that was the way to go.
But the pillars obstructed it. It couldn't manage its 'life'...
What could it do?
It made a path. The path connected to itself, the 'brain', to the body.
The path helped satisfying it. Its senses were impaired further on but at least still connected.
Seeing this, it then shook. It shook violent with emotion for it had already learned to feel. It was excited.
Space as it had learned it was called, opened. And it once more threatened to collapse on itself. But it held.
So it rejoiced.
But this joy was short-lived. For not too long after something had entered its body. What could it be? It silently observed. Well sensed, as the creature eliminated its 'life' and continued moving further in.
It passed its pillar and then it realized that something was wrong. Fear settled in once more as it realized this was a vulnerability. How could it let these things so easily into its own body!?
No! It wouldn't do! Not at all!
It recalled its 'life' and gave it new orders. Eliminate the intruder!
The 'life' abided. It was nothing but its own thoughts after all.
But the creature was much wiser and stronger! It wasn't so easily defeated which gave it further fear.
It needed something stronger. So it went back to the drawing board and thought things over.
Ultimately, it decided to ambush the creature. It would surely never see it coming!
It placed its 'life' in its pillars but… the 'life' died!
'Life' couldn't be sustained inside of its pillars. No! That 'life' was simply too weak to be there!
So it created a much stronger 'life' and it felt exhausting. Never before had it felt so spent! But it couldn't think too hard about it as the thing finally came across the stronger 'life'
It sensed the battle to the best of its limited ability. It had come to a surprising conclusion. Both parties perished!
It returned to itself and through it, it saw the thing. It then knew what it was. It had learned of it through its favorite tool.
Humans?
It became terrified. The knowledge it had obtained marked them as greedy and devious existences. It immediately wanted to close its borders! It didn't want those things in itself again!
But… would it part with freedom? No, that wouldn't do.
But it felt so… drowsy…
And thus its senses started to dull, and as they did, its pillars started to crumble. One by one all of its hard work started to fall. Its 'life' died and returned to itself.
Thus it awakened feeling somewhat refreshed.
So it started to think. Was it the 'life'?
That's when it noticed a problem. If it couldn't use 'life' then how would it defend itself?
Would it have to part with freedom...? No, that wouldn't do. Not at all! There had to be another solution!
And that's when it came across a new feeling. Some of its energy had returned. But how come? There was no more 'life' to be collected! This energy was foreign!
Unless…? It pondered intensively.
The human was the only thing that came to mind. So it, though impaired, tried to sense the area where it had perished.
But its senses were limited.
So it created 'life' and then recalled 'life' returning it into itself. Through this, it saw. It now realized that the human was gone!
It had digested it.
So it could use humans...
Humans were good.
So how would it attract humans?
…
Greedy?
As it knew emotions it knew what this entailed. Was what it felt now not greed? Yes, more humans!
So how would it entice humans?
…
It remembered what its 'life' had reported and decided that perhaps, the humans own remains would do.
Yes, the weapon the human used to eliminate its 'life' was bound to be worth something! Otherwise, why would a greedy human carry it?
Time passed and by coincidence, more humans would come. And when they did, it would use 'life' to kill them. It also learned to be more conservative. Its 'life' lacked substance.
It learned to not be wasteful. Every part of a human was worth using!
Following these kinds of thoughts, it had reached its present stage. More of itself had stabilized allowing it to reduce the number of pillars between itself and freedom.
This in turn allowed it to control its lives more freely. Yes, lives. For it had long since learned to make it.
Now, the only thing that troubled it was the life that didn't belong to itself. Why?
It was suspicious.
Using its favorite tool this life was manifested but… it was a human! How could it trust it? No. Could it trust anything?!?
It was struck by paranoia as its time to remove another pillar came. It couldn't have latent dangers! So it had to do something…
But what? What could it do?
…
It didn't know. But it was time for a reward for the life it was wary against had reaped it new food.
It would think about it.. For it had long since been learning to do so.